SSPXAsia.com: Instruction on the First Sunday After Easter, Called Dominica in Albis INSTRUCTION ON THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER, CALLED DOMINICA IN ALBIS Why is this Sunday called Dominica in Albis or White Sunday? Because on this day the neophytes laid aside the white dress which, as emblem of their innocence, they received on Holy Saturday, and put on their necks an Agnus Dei, made of white wax, and blessed by the pope, to remind them always of the innocence for which they were given, and of the meekness of the Lamb Jesus. For which reason the Church sings at the Introit: INTROIT As newborn babes, alleluia: desire the rational milk without guile. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. (I Pet II. 2.) Rejoice to God our helper: sing aloud to the God of Jacob. (Ps. LXXX.) Glory, &c. COLLECT Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we, who have completed the paschal solemnities may, through Thy merciful bounty, ever retain them in our life and conversation. Through.

EPISTLE (I John V. 4-100.) Dearly Beloved, Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory which overcometh the world, our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he that came by water and blood, Jesus Christ: not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the spirit which testifieth that Christ is the truth. And there are three who give testimony in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that give testiï¿½mony on earth: the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three are one. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater: for this is the testimony of God, which is greater, because he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth in the Son of God, hath the testimony of God in himself. INSTRUCTION As in his gospel, so in his epistles, and especially in this, St.

John proves the divinity of Christ which had been denied by some heretics. He says that Christ had come to purify all men from sin by water and blood, that is, by. His blood shed on the cross for our recï¿½onciliation, and by the water of baptism to which He has given the power, the divine effect of His blood, and has thus proved Himself the divine Redeemer. This His divine dignity is attested by the Holy Ghost who lived in Christ and worked through Him with His fulness, and when sent by Him after our Lord's Ascension, produced most wonï¿½derful effect in the apostles and the faithful. As now on earth three, the Spirit, water, and blood, give testimony of Christ's divinity and agree in it, so also in heaven three, the Father, who calls Him His beloved Son, (Matt, III. 17.) the Word, or the Son Himself, who wrought so many miracles, the Holy Ghost, when He descended upon Him at the baptism in the Jordan, (Luke III. 22.) give testimony of His divinity, and these also agree with one another in their testimony.

If Christ is truly God, then we must believe in Him, and this faith must be a living one, that is, it must prove fertile in good works, and this faith conquers the world by teaching us to love God above all, to despise the world with its pleasures, and to overcome it by indifï¿½ference. Let us strive to have such faith, and we shal overcome all temptations and gain the eternal crown. ASPIRATION O Lord Jesus! strengthen me by a lively faith in Thy divinity, so that I may not sucï¿½cumb in the spiritual combat against the world, the flesh, and the devil, and be eternally lost. GOSPEL (John XX. 1931.) At that time, When it was late that same day, the first of the week and the doors were shut,where the disciples were gathered together, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came, and stood in the midst, and said to them: Peace be to you. And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad, when, they saw the Lord. He said therefore to them again: Peace be to you.

As the Father hath sent me, I also send you. When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost; whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them: and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained. Now Thomas, one of the twelve, who is called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him: We have seen the Lord. But he said to them: Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days, again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said: Peace be to you. Then he said to Thomas: Put in thy finger hither, and see my hands, and bring hither thy hand, and put it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing. Thomas answered and said to him: My Lord and my God.

Jesus saith to him: Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed.* Many other signs also did Jesus in the sight of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that, believing, you may have life in his name. * What follows is omitted on the Feast of St. Thomas, 21st of December. Why does Christ so often wish peace to the apostles? To show that He only, by His death and resurrection, has made peace between God and man, and that His folï¿½lowers should be known by their harmony. (John XIII. 35.) There is a threefold peace: peace with God, by avoidï¿½ing sin; peace with ourselves, that is, a good conscience; peace with our neighbor, by the exercise of charity. This threefold peace is necessary for our salvation. Why did Jesus breathe upon the apostles when giving them the power to forgive sin?

To show that as bodily life was once given to Adam by the breath of God, so should the spiritual life be given henceforth by the apostles and their successors, through the Holy Ghost in the Sacrament of Penance, to the children of Adam who were spiritually dead. Why did God permit Thomas to doubt the Resurrection of Christ? That Thomas, as well as we, says St. Gregory, should be strengthened in humble belief in the Resurrection of Christ, and that all doubts should be removed. Had Thomas true faith when with his own eyes he saw Christ? Yes, for he saw Christ only in His humanity, and yet testified to His divinity by exclaiming: My Lord and my God! Is it true, meritorious faith not to be ready to believe before seeing that which is to be believed? By no means; for faith consists precisely in firmly holdï¿½ing as true that which is not seen. Therefore Christ calls him blessed who has not seen and yet believes. When is faith true and meritorious?

That is true faith which firmly believes all that God has revealed, whether written or unwritten, and when one lives in accordance with that faith; for faith in Jesus simply does not save us, when that which He has commanded is not performed. (Matt VII, 21.; James II. 20.) That faith is meritorious which without doubting and without hesitation willingly submits the understanding to revealed truths which it cannot comprehend, and this for the love of Gods who is eternal truth and cannot deceive. Whence do we know for certain that God has revealed certain things? From the Church of Christ which alone preserves the revealed word of God faithfully and uncorrupted, as it is contained in the Bible and in tradition; by the Holy Ghost all truth is given to the Church, and Christ remains with her until the end of the world. (Matt. XXVIII. 20.) Has the Church of Christ any marks by which it may be known? Christ's Church has these four marks: it is One, it is Holy, it is Catholic, and it is Apostolic. How is the, Church one? The Church is one, because all its members agreein one faith, are all in one communion, and are all under one head.

(Matt. XVI, 18.; Eph. IV. 37.) How is the Church Holy? The Church is Holy, in her Founder, Jesus Christ, and by teaching a holy doctrine, by inviting all to a holy life, and by the eminent holiness of so many thousands of her children. How is the Church Catholic? The Church is Catholic or Universal, because she subsists in all ages, teaches all nations, (Matt. XXVII. 19, 20.) and maintains all truth. How is the Church Apostolic? The Church is Apostolic, because she comes down by a perpetual succession from the apostles of Christ, and has her doctrines her orders, and her mission from them. Which is this true Church? The Roman Catholic Church, for she alone has these marks. She is One in her head, the Pope of Rome, in her doctrine, and in her Sacraments, which is evident since she excludes all those who do not accept all her dogmas. She is. Holy, for Christ her Founder is holy; and her doctrine and Sacraments lead to holiness, as shown by the multitude of her saints whose sanctity God arms by great miracles. No sect has saints.

She is Catholic or Universal, for she has been in existence always from the times of the apostles, as is clearly shown by the fact that from the times of the apostles there have always been some who separated from her and founded sects. The Catholic Church has always existed, and cannot perish or beï¿½come corrupt, since Christ has promised to remain with her to the end of the world; she is also spread over the whole world, is always being announced to all nations, and is fitted for all generations and for all people. She is Apostolic, for she accepts no doctrine which does not come from the apostles, and she can prove that the ministers of the Church, the bishops, have come down in unbroken succession from the apostles. Can those who remain outside the Catholic Church be, saved? The Council of Trent (Sess. V. in the Introduction) assigns the Catholic faith as the one without which it is impossible to please God, and the Roman Catechism teaches: (I part. art.

9.) "The Church is also called Catholic or Universal, because all who desire eternal salvation must cling to, and embrace her, like those who entered the ark to escape perishing in the flood." According to this doctrine of the Church, which the holy Fathers affirm, only those idolaters and obstinate heretics are excluded from salvation who knowingly deny the truth, and will not enter the Church. The Catholic Church does not condemn the unbelievers, she prays for them, leaves judgment to the Lord, who alone knows the heart, and knows whether the error is culpable or not, and she calls on all her, members to pray for their enlightenment. Are we then already saved, if we belong to the true Church? No, we must also live up to the faith which she teaches make good use of all means of salvation, regard and honor all her regulations and commands, for otherwise the words of Christ will be verified in us: And I say to you that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven: but the children of the kingdom (the true Church) shall be cast out into exterior darkness. (Matt. VIII.

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Second Sunday of Easter Divine Mercy Sunday After the title "Second Sunday of Easter", there shall henceforth be added the appellation "(or Divine Mercy Sunday"), and has prescribed that the texts assigned for that day in the same Missal and the Liturgy of the Hours of the Roman Rite are always to be used for the liturgical celebration of this Sunday. (Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 5 May 2000) Colour EPI, MP, EPII: proper; hymn, antiphon, psalms and canticle as on Easter Sunday. Year A The faithful all lived together and owned everything in common. Psalm Ps 117:2-4, 13-15, 22-24 r.1 Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his love has no end or Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! Reading 2 1 Pet 1:3-9 In his great mercy he has given us a new birth as his sons by raising Jesus from the dead. Gospel Acclamation Jesus said: 'You believe because you can see me.

Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.' Gospel Eight days later, Jesus came. Year B Ps 117:2-4, 13-15, 22-24 r.1 Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his love has no end or Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! Anyone who has been begotten by God has already overcome the world. Gospel Acclamation Jesus said: 'You believe because you can see me. Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.' Gospel Eight days later, Jesus came. Year C The numbers of men and women who came to believe in the Lord steadily increased. Psalm Ps 117:2-4, 13-15, 22-24 r.1 Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his love has no end or Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! I was dead and now I am to live for ever and ever. Gospel Acclamation Jesus said: 'You believe because you can see me. Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.' Gospel Eight days later, Jesus came.

Third Sunday of Easter Preface of Easter II–V Office It was impossible for him to be held in the power of Hades. Psalm Ps 16:1-2. 5, 7-11 r. 11 Show us, Lord, the path of life. or Alleluia! Reading 2 1 Pet 1:17-21 Your ransom was paid in the precious blood of a lamb without spot or stain, namely, Christ. Gospel Acclamation Lord Jesus, explain the scriptures to us. Make our hearts burn within us as you talk to us. Gospel They recognised him at the breaking of bread. Year B You killed the prince of life. God, however, raised him from the dead. Psalm Ps 4:2, 4, 7, 9 r. 7 Lift up the light of your face on us, O Lord or Alleluia! Reading 2 1 John 2:1-5a He is the sacrifice that takes our sins away, and not only ours, but the whole world's. Gospel Acclamation Lord Jesus, explain the scriptures to us. Make our hearts burn within us as you talk to us.

Gospel Luke 24:35-48 So you see how it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead. Year C We are witnesses of all this, we and the Holy Spirit. Psalm Ps 29:2, 4-6, 11-13 r. 2 I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me. or Alleluia! The Lamb that was sacrificed is worthy to be given riches and power/ Gospel Acclamation Lord Jesus, explain the scriptures to us. Make our hearts burn within us as you talk to us. Christ has risen: he who created all things, and has granted his mercy to men. Gospel John 21:1-19 Jesus stepped forward, took the bread and gave it to them, and the same with the fish. shorter John 21:1-14 Jesus stepped forward, took the bread and gave it to them, and the same with the fish. Fourth Sunday of Easter Preface of Easter II–V Office God made him both Lord and Christ Psalm The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. or Alleluia! You have come back to the shepherd of souls.

Gospel Acclamation I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; I know my own sheep and my own know me. Gospel I am the gate of the sheepfold. Year B This is the only name by which we can be saved. Psalm The stone which the builders rejected has become the corner stone. or Alleluia! We shall see God as he really is. Gospel Acclamation I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; I know my own sheep and my own know me. Gospel The good shepherd is one who lays down his life for his sheep. Year C We must turn to the pagans. Psalm Ps 99:1-3, 5 r. 3 We are his people, the sheep of his flock. or Alleluia! The Lamb will be their shepherd and will lead them to springs of living water. Gospel Acclamation I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; I know my own sheep and my own know me. Gospel I give eternal life to the sheep that belong to me. Fifth Sunday of Easter Preface of Easter II–V Office They elected seven men full of the Holy Spirit.

Psalm Ps 32:1-2, 4-5, 18-19 r. 22 May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you. or Alleluia! But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood. Gospel Acclamation Jesus said: 'I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the father except through me. Gospel I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. Year B Barnabas explained how the Lord had appeared to Saul on his journey. Psalm Ps 21:26-28, 30-32 r. 26 You, Lord, are my praise in the great assembly. or Alleluia! Reading 2 1 John 3:18-24 His commandments are these: that we believe in his Son and that we love one another. Gospel Acclamation Make your home in me, as I make mine in you. Whoever remains in me bears fruit in plenty. Gospel Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty. Year C They gave an account to the church of all that God had done with them.

Psalm I will bless your name for ever, O God my King. or Alleluia! God will wipe away all tears from their eyes. Gospel Acclamation Jesus said: 'I give you a new commandment: love one another, just as I have loved you.' Gospel I give you a new commandment: love one another. Sixth Sunday of Easter Preface of Easter II–V Office They laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Psalm Ps 65:1-7, 16. 20 r. 1 Cry out with joy to God all the earth. or Alleluia! Reading 2 1 Pet 3:15-18 In the body he was put to death, in the spirit he was raised to life. Gospel Acclamation Jesus said: 'If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him. Gospel I shall ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate. Year B The Holy Spirit has been poured out on the pagans too. Psalm The Lord has shown his salvation to the nations. or Alleluia!

Jesus said: 'If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him. Gospel John 15:9-17 A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends. Year C Reading 1 Acts 15:1-2, 22-29 It has been decided by the Holy Spirit and by ourselves not to saddle you with any burden beyond these essentials. Psalm Ps 66:2-3, 5-6. 8 r.4 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. or Alleluia! He showed me the holy city coming down from heaven. Gospel Acclamation Jesus said: 'If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him. Gospel The Holy Spirit will remind you of all I have said to you. The Ascension of the Lord Seventh Sunday of EasterSolemnity The Ascension is traditionally celebrated on the Thursday following the Sixth Sunday of Easter.

In England and Wales (from 2007) the Ascension of the Lord is tranferred to the following Sunday replacing the Seventh Sunday of Easter. Cycle of Prayer — World Communications day Colour White Vigil Mass texts for the Vigil Mass have been provided in the Missale Romanum 3rd edition. These are not yet available in English. Mass Preface of the Ascension I–II EPI: proper inserts MP: proper, Sunday week I EPII: proper He was lifted up while they looked on. Psalm Ps 46:2-3, 6-9 r. 6 God goes up with shouts of joy; the Lord goes up with trumpet blast. or Alleluia! He made him sit at his right hand in heaven. Gospel Acclamation Go, make disciples of all the nations; I am with you always; yes, to the end of time. Gospel All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Year B He was lifted up while they looked on. Psalm Ps 46:2-3, 6-9 r. 6 God goes up with shouts of joy; the Lord goes up with trumpet blast. or Alleluia!

He made him sit at his right hand in heaven. Year B optional Fully mature with the fullness of Christ. optional (shorter) Fully mature with the fullness of Christ. Gospel Acclamation Go, make disciples of all the nations; I am with you always; yes, to the end of time. Gospel Mark 16:15-20 He was taken up into heaven: there at the right hand of God he took his place. Year C He was lifted up while they looked on. Psalm Ps 46:2-3, 6-9 r. 6 God goes up with shouts of joy; the Lord goes up with trumpet blast. or Alleluia! He made him sit at his right hand in heaven. Year C optional Christ entered into heaven itself. Gospel Acclamation Go, make disciples of all the nations; I am with you always; yes, to the end of time. Gospel As he blessed them he carried up to heaven. Seventh Sunday of Easter In England and Wales (from 2007) this is replaced by the Ascension of the Lord . Colour Preface of the Ascension I–II Office All joined in continuous prayer.

Psalm Ps 26:1, 4, 7-8 r. 13 I am sure I shall see the Lord's goodness in the land of the living. or Alleluia! Reading 2 1 Pet 4:13-16 It is a blessing for you when they insult you for bearing the name of Christ. Gospel Acclamation I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord; I will come back to you, and you hearts will be full of joy. Gospel We must choose one of these to be a witness to his resurrection with us. Psalm Ps 102:1-2, 11-12, 19-20 r.19 The Lord has set his sway in heaven. or Alleluia! Anyone who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in him. Gospel Acclamation I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord; I will come back to you, and you hearts will be full of joy. Gospel That they may be one like us! Year C I can see the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.

Psalm Ps 96:1-2, 6-7, 9 r.1.9 The Lord is king, most high above all the earth. or Alleluia! I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord; I will come back to you, and you hearts will be full of joy. Gospel May they be completely one. Pentecost Sunday At the end of Easter Season, the Easter Candle should be kept in the baptistery with due honour. During the celebration of baptism, the candles of the newly baptised are lighted from it. The Easter Candle may also be used in funeral Masses. MP: proper, Sunday week I EPII: proper It was named Babel because there the language of the whole earth was confused. or The Lord came down on the mountain of Sinai before all the people, or Dry bones, I am going to make the breath enter you, and you will live. or I will pour out my spirit on all my people. Psalm Ps 103:1-2, 24, 27-30, 35 r. 30 Send forth your Spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.

or Alleluia! Reading 2 Rom 8:22-27 The Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words. Gospel Acclamation Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Gospel From his breast shall flow fountains of living water Mass during the day A Homily for the First Sunday after Easter (Low Sunday) The Wealth of Spirit As delivered in Hollywood on Low Sunday 2002 The first Sunday after Easter has been called "Low Sunday", so as to distinguish it from Easter Sunday, which has been called "High Sunday". Ecclesiastics facetiously explain the title supposedly because attendance is typically so low on this Sunday in comparison to Easter Sunday. This phenomenon, not always born out in my experience, is in a certain way symbolic of the dichotomy of how the success of a religion, church or person is measured when contrasting a worldly versus a spiritual view of the matter. The Gnostic point of view expresses this dichotomy most often in the contrasting of material wealth and an exterior, visible growth in the world with spiritual wealth and an interior, invisible growth in the Spirit.

One can appreciate this dichotomy in the contrasting of the two parables of the rich man in the Gospel of Thomas: Jesus said: There was a rich man who had much money. He said, 'I shall put my money to use so that I may sow, reap, plant and fill my storehouse with produce so that I lack nothing.' Such were his intentions, but that same night he died. Now, contrast the previous saying with the following parable of the wise merchant: Jesus said: The Kingdom of the Father is like a merchant who had a consignment of merchandise and who discovered a pearl. He sold the merchandise and bought the pearl alone for himself. You, too, seek this enduring and unfailing treasure where no moth comes near to devour and no worm destroys. The pearl here is symbolic of the priceless treasure of the spirit, the seed of the Light within us, our authentic and immortal Self.

Acknowledgment of the value of the pearl by the wise merchant, as opposed to the rich man who thought only of the temporal wealth of the world, signifies a recognition of the true value of knowing our authentic Self, often obscured by the material and psychological obfuscation of the world, but which is a recognition of our authentic Selves as sons and daughters of the Light. The rich man who put his value in the things of this world is contrasted with the wise merchant who gives up all to obtain the single pearl. As stated in the Gospel according to St. Luke, "Likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple." There is a great treasure of the Light within us of whose nature most of are only temporarily or vaguely conscious, yet it is of a reality that is truly enduring, that is incorruptible and immortal. Such a treasure of the Light is so powerfully obscured by the overvaluing of material things and psychological and social preoccupations that very little of it shines into everyday consciousness and out into the world.

The hidden nature of our authentic Self, most tragically occulted even from our own awareness is further amplified by the following passage from the Gospel of Philip: No one will hide a large valuable object into something small, but many a time one has tossed countless thousands into a thing worth a penny. Compare the soul. It is a precious thing and it came to be in a worthless body. This passage exhorts us to avoid identification with anything that falls short of our authentic spiritual Self, the true treasure of the Light. Do not put our value, our authenticity, into anything less than our true pneumatic Self; do not compromise our spiritual integrity. If we identify ourselves, our value, our wealth, with any of the myriad, worthless things of the world, we become eaten up by that. As stated in the Gospel according to Thomas, "Blessed is the man who eats the lion and the lion shall become man, but cursed is the man whom the lion (world) eats and he will become a lion." If we identify our value with material things and the body, we are eaten up by that and fall into the snare of the Hyletic.

If asked who they are, they answer, " I am the possessor of such and such in material wealth or status," or , "I am the possessor of such and such physical attributes of my body." If we identify with what we think or feel, we are eaten up by that and fall into the prison of the Psychic. If asked who they are, they answer, "I am a believer or unbeliever in such and such," or, "I am a lover or hater of such and such." We get stuck in these false identities and become blind to anything greater. In the logion from the Gospel of Thomas recited for this Sunday, Jesus further explains this blindness: And my soul was afflicted for the sons of men, because they are blind in their hearts and do not see that empty they have come into the world and that empty they seek to go out of the world again. Many coming from a secular, socio-economic paradigm of salvation continually complain about the problems of material poverty. Indeed, there is much suffering due to conditions of poverty in the world, and we should help to alleviate it to the extent that opportunities avail themselves to us on a personal level.

But material poverty pales in comparison to the spiritual poverty, the spiritual emptiness that afflicts the vast majority of people, both the rich and the poor. As the Gospel of Thomas explains, They do not see that empty they have come into the world and empty they seek to go out of the world again." For such dispirited people the phrase, "wealth of the Spirit," is an oxymoron. They can not acknowledge even the existence of the things of the spirit, let alone assign any value to them. In the portion of the Gospel of Thomas read today, Jesus points out what is truly important to consider in this regard: Jesus said: If the ?esh has come into existence because of the spirit, it is a marvel; but if the spirit has come into existence because of the body, it is a marvel of marvels. But I marvel at how this great wealth has made its home in this poverty. People have not truly come into the world empty, but being unconscious and ignorant of the treasure within them, they are effectively empty.

The recognition of that treasure can not come about through an abstract or theoretical speculation on the origin of material or immaterial things but through experience, both a consciousness of the poverty of ignorance as the existential condition of the human being in the world , and the recognition of the true treasure of the Spirit, that fragment of the Divine Light that enlightens the soul and aids her in transcending the material and psychological obscurations of the world. The Gospel reading for today further explains the process by which these conscious recognitions occur: Jesus said: I took my stand in the midst of the world and in ?esh I appeared to them; I found them all drunk, I found none among them athirst� But now they are drunk. When they have shaken off their wine, then will they repent. This passage indicates two steps in the process. First we must shake off our drunkenness by the things of the world. Then only can we repent and turn the awareness of our soul from external and material things to inner and spiritual things.

The captive and unrepentant soul is drunk on the drink of the world, a world that is made of substitutes for the spirit, that hold the soul captive, a worldly drink that befuddles our awareness, that puts us into a stupor of unconsciousness, and prevents us from becoming conscious of the spiritual treasure within us and of anything beyond the world's counterfeits of the real. This drink comes in a myriad of masquerading and superficially attractive forms, but they are all unfulfilling and counterfeit creations, they are only replicas of the real, they are the promises and threats of false gods and archons. We become attached to and captured by the ideas of the mind, the emotional affections of the passions, the dressed-up desires of our instinctual drives. But they are false gods; they give false promises of fulfillment, comfort and peace, but they do not deliver it in any enduring fashion. Ultimately, they are empty and they leave us empty. What we are really seeking behind all of these counterfeits are the enduring things of the Spirit, the wealth of the Spirit, the treasure of the Light within.

Being drunk on the drink of the world is an attempt to find wealth, happiness and fulfillment on the horizontal and external dimension of being. Wealth is related to the word "weal," meaning wellbeing and happiness, but material and psychological things can not really offer this in any lasting way. How often have people found that the achievement of their worldly desires did not bring them the happiness that they sought. How often we say to ourselves, "If only so and so believed in my ideas then I would be well and happy. If only I had such and such a possession or physical characteristic then I would be well and happy. If only I had this like satisfied or that dislike removed then I would be well and happy. But when we have obtained these objects of our desires, we find that we are still not well nor happy and another thing takes its place. Eventually, we must throw off our wine of worldly attachments; we must come to a point of dissatisfaction and sometimes, even despair with these counterfeits of the real before we can ask for and receive the spiritual drink of another and higher reality, before we can drink of the Living Water of the Spirit, which alone provides a weal that is fulfilling and enduring.

We must lose the life oriented to the poverty of ignorance to obtain the life of liberating Gnosis. In some instances, before we can be disappointed with the false wine of the world, we must experience that which truly offers a wellbeing and that endures; we must experience something better and greater, then we can repent. Repent means to turn back, to reverse our direction. Instead of giving our worship to the shibboleths and false gods of the ego and of the human nature directed toward the external world on the horizontal dimension of being, we must turn back to our authentic Selves and to our beginning, our source in the Fullness. We must turn the womb of the soul inward so that she bears us spiritual children as insights of Gnosis. When the soul becomes directed to the Light within, she bears forth the wealth of the Spirit. The Qabbalists teach that the highest is the innermost. In the Pistis Sophia, the Most High is called the Inmost of the Inmosts. That interior star of our being is the door, the way, the opening to transcendence and freedom. Yet that pearl, that treasure of the Light, is hidden beneath layers and layers of dust and darkness.

It is imprisoned and entombed by the rulers of matter and psyche, so thickly obscured that we can barely know where to seek for it. What the Gnostics knew is that we cannot find it outside of ourselves. The title for this Sunday from early times is Dominica in Albis, meaning "Sunday in White," as it signifies the day when at the end of the service, the neophytes, those baptized on Easter Eve, stripped off their baptismal garments of white and put on their civilian dress. The white vesture of the Light becomes interiorized and hidden beneath the outward and worldly appearance. As St. Paul the Apostle wrote, "We have this treasure in earthly vessels." We must find a way to penetrate these layers of obscuration. We must cleave the wood of outward semblance. We must lift the stone. We must roll the stone away from the tomb of matter, lift it away from the tombs in which our spirits are buried while we live in this flesh. This work of finding and rescuing the Light within ourselves and in the universe is simple but not easy. The alchemists have said of old, "Nature unaided always fails." And so it is with our own human natures.

We might also say, "Human nature unaided always fails." The work of freeing the wealth of the Spirit cannot be accomplished by the mental-emotional-instinctual complex of the ego, or by a social organization simply devised and orchestrated by such egos. We require a light from outside of the archonic system of the world and yet lies within us, such a light as that represented by the flame of the Paschal candle, to find our way back to the Light, to give us the spiritual strength and sustenance to lift the stone away from the tombs of our spirits. So from whence does this aid for us come. As sung by the Psalmist, "From whence shall my salvation come?" It comes in diverse ways through the Messengers of the Light, and for us through the Gnostic sacraments or mysteries, particularly the central one of the Eucharist. The Eucharist does not do the work for us, but it provides the necessary aid; it provides the spiritual nourishment and sustenance that gives us the strength to make the great journey in this life, to search out the hidden tomb of our authentic being and to lift the stone away.

The inner light that makes the way clear in the darkness of this world is increased by our participation in the Eucharist. Eucharist comes from the Greek word meaning "thanksgiving." It is a thanksgiving for the wealth of the spirit given to us in the Eucharist, in the sacrament of what has been rightly called "the most precious gift." It is a thanksgiving to the one who came down through all the Aeons of the Light and all the Archons of the Spheres to bring that gift to us. And so we are also thankful for the true and pure bishops, such as our Right Reverend Father Tau Stephanus, who represent the apostles of that Light. For as written by the holy prophet Mani, "For all the earlier religions were true so long as pure leaders were in them," so has our bishop maintained the purity of our tradition by his leadership and remained true to his calling and his promise to the Light.

He has remained true to the Light from whence he and indeed all of us have come; and there shall he stand in Gnosis and in Truth, so that he and his successors might ever offer the Living Water, the true wine of Gnosis, and the Bread of Life, the Sustenance of the Angels, to the generations now and in the future, to provide the drink and the waybread of heaven to the weary pilgrims in this world who long for return to the Light and who long for the wealth of the spirit in Gnosis. -- Rev. Steven Marshall The Orthodox Faith - Volume II - Worship - The Church Year - Post-Easter Sundays - Orthodox Church in America Post-Easter Sundays Saint Thomas Sunday: Antipascha Every day during the week of Easter, called Bright Week by the Church, the paschal services are celebrated in all their splendor. The Easter baptismal procession is repeated daily. The royal gates of the sanctuary remain open. The joy of the Resurrection and the gift of the Kingdom of eternal life continue to abound.

Then, at the end of the week, on Saturday evening, the second Sunday after Easter is celebrated in remembrance of the appearance of Christ to the Apostle Thomas “after eight days” (Jn 20.26). It is important to note that the number eight has symbolical significance in both Jewish and Christian spiritual tradition. It signifies more than completion and fullness; it signifies the Kingdom of God and the life of the world to come since seven is the number of earthly time. The sabbath, the seventh day, is the blessed day of rest in this world, the final day of the week. The “first day of the week,” the day “after Sabbath”; stressed in all of the gospels as the day of Christ’s Resurrection (Mk 16.1, Mt 28.1, Lk 24.1, Jn 20.1, 19), is therefore also “the eighth day,” the day beyond the confines of this world, the day which stands for the life of the world to come, the day of the eternal rest of the Kingdom of God (see Heb 4).

The Sunday after Easter, called the Second Sunday, is thus the eighth day of the paschal celebration, the last day of Bright Week. It is therefore called the Antipascha, and it was only on this day in the early church that the newly-baptized Christians removed their robes and entered once again into the life of this world. In the Church services the stress is on the Apostle Thomas’ vision of Christ and the significance of the day comes to us in the words of the gospel: Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see My hands; and put out your hand, and place it in My side; do not be faithless, but believing.” Thomas answered Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe” (Jn 20.27–29). We have not seen Christ with our physical eyes nor touched His risen body with our physical hands, yet in the Holy Spirit we have seen and touched and tasted the Word of Life (1 Jn 1.1–4), and so we believe.

At each of the daily services until Ascension Day we sing the Easter Troparion. At each of the Sunday services beginning with Antipascha, we sing the Easter canon and hymns, and repeat the celebration of the “first day of the week” on which Christ rose from the dead. At all of the liturgies the epistle readings are taken from the Book of Acts telling us of the first Christians who lived in communion with the Risen Lord. All of the gospel readings are taken from the Gospel of Saint John, considered by many to be a gospel written particularly for those who are newly-baptized into the new life of the Kingdom of God through death and new birth in Christ, in the name of the Holy Trinity. The reason for this opinion is that all of the “signs”—as the miracles in Saint John’s Gospel are called—deal with sacramental themes involving water: wine and bread.

Thus, each of the Sundays after Thomas Sunday with the exception of the third, is dedicated to the memory of one of these “signs.” The Myrrhbearing Women The third Sunday after Pascha is dedicated to the myrrhbearing women who cared for the body of the Saviour at his death and who were the first witnesses of His Resurrection. The three troparia of Holy Friday are sung once again and from the theme of the day: The noble Joseph, when he had taken down Thy most pure body from the Tree, wrapped it in fine linen and anointed it with spices, and placed it in a new tomb. When Thou didst descend to death, O Life Immortal, Thou didst slay hell with the splendor of Thy Godhead. The angel came to the myrrhbearing women at the tomb and said: Myrrh is fitting for the dead, but Christ has shown Himself a stranger to corruption! So proclaim: The Lord is risen, granting the world great mercy. The Paralytic The fourth Sunday is dedicated to Christ’s healing of the paralytic (Jn 5). The man is healed by Christ while waiting to be put down into the pool of water.

Through baptism in the church we, too, are healed and saved by Christ for eternal life. Thus, in the church, we are told, together with the paralytic, “to sin no more that nothing worse befall you” (Jn 5.14). The Feast of Mid-Pentecost In the middle of this fourth week, the middle day between Easter and Pentecost is solemnly celebrated. It is called the feast of Mid-Pentecost, at which Christ, “in the middle of the feast” teaches men of his saving mission and offers to all “the waters of immortality” (Jn 7.14). Again we are reminded of the Master’s presence and his saving promise: “If anyone is thirsty let him come to Me and drink” (Jn 7.37). We think also once again of our death and resurrection with Christ in our baptism, and our reception of the Holy Spirit from him in our chrismation. We “look back to one, and anticipate the other” as one of the hymns of the feast puts it.

We know that we belong to that kingdom of the Risen Christ where “the Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price” (Rev 22.17; Is 55.1). In the middle of the feast, O Saviour, fill my thirsting soul with the waters of godliness, as Thou didst cry unto all: If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! O Christ God, Fountain of life, glory to Thee! (Troparion). Christ God, the Creator and Master of all, cried to all in the midst of the feast of the law: Come and drink the water of immortality! We fall before Thee and faithfully cry: Grant us Thy bounties, for Thou art the Fountain of our life! (Kontakion). The Samaritan Woman The fifth Sunday after Easter deals with the woman of Samaria with whom Christ spoke at Jacob’s Well (Jn 4). Again the theme is the “living water” and the recognition of Jesus as God’s Messiah (Jn 4.10–11; 25–26).

We are reminded of our new life in Him, of our own drinking of the “living water,” of our own true worship of God in the Christian messianic age “in Spirit and in Truth” (Jn 4.23–24). We see as well that salvation is offered to all: Jews and Gentiles, men and women, saints and sinners. The Blind Man The sixth Sunday commemorates the healing of the man blind from birth (Jn 9). We are identified with that man who came to see and to believe in Jesus as the Son of God. The Lord has anointed our eyes with his own divine hands and washed them with the waters of our baptism (Jn 9.6–11). Jesus used clay of spittle and told the man to wash in the waters of Siloam. He did so because it was the Sabbath day on which spitting, clay-making and washing were strictly forbidden. By breaking these ritual laws of the Jews, Jesus showed that He is indeed the Lord of the Sabbath, and, as such, that He is equal to God the Father Who alone, according to Jewish tradition, works on the Sabbath day in running His world.

There is scandal over the healing of the blind man on the Sabbath day. He is separated from the synagogue because of his faith in Christ. The entire Church follows this man in his fate, knowing that it is those who do not see Jesus as the Lord who are really blind and still in their sins (Jn 9.41). The others have the light of life and can see and know the Son of God, for “you have seen Him, and it is He who speaks to you” (Jn 9.37). I come to Thee, O Christ, blind from birth in my spiritual eyes, and call to Thee in repentance: Thou art the most radiant Light of those in darkness! (Kontakion).

Question: In the church calendar what name is given to the first Sunday after Easter Sunday?
Answer: Low Sunday